Stress occurs when people feel overwhelmed by the demands of some life activities such
as work, relationships, and school. Stress can be both positive and negative. Positive stress gives
people determination and energy to continue with their daily activities. It also encourages them
to assist others during some challenging situations such as preparing for examinations or
meeting deadlines at work. Negative stress, on the other hand, prevents people from doing their
best in different life activities. It usually brings about mental, emotional, physical, and
psychological effects on the people. These can result in adverse consequences on a person’s
health (Kalas & Momin, 2016, p. 15). It is therefore important for people to understand different
techniques and strategies that they can use to reduce stress. Applying these techniques will keep
them safe from some serious health problems that are as a result of stress.
Avoiding or reducing the consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine is a crucial
technique for stress reduction. Both nicotine and caffeine are stimulants. They increase a
person’s level of stress instead of reducing it, especially when taken in high quantities.
Similarly, alcohol is a depressant when consumed in large quantities and a stimulant when taken
in small amounts. Taking alcohol as a way of reducing stress will not help in any way. Instead
of consuming these alcoholic and caffeinated drinks, one can decide to use water, natural fruit
juices, and herbal teas. All these will keep him or her hydrated which is a perfect way of
reducing stress (Bistricky, Tran, & Muths, 2016, p. 11)
Engaging in more physical activities is also an effective way of reducing stress.
Whenever a person feels stressed, the level of his or her stress hormones like cortisol and
adrenaline increases. These hormones are meant for protecting a person from any bodily harm
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when he or she is under threat. However, in the current world, stress is rarely reduced by the
body’s fight or flight response. It is, therefore, important to use physical activity as a way of
metabolizing excess stress hormones. Physical exercise restores the body and mind to a more
relaxed state (Kalas & Momin, 2016, p. 17). This way, the level of stress is eventually reduced.
Lastly, one must ensure that he or she gets enough sleep every day. Lack of enough
sleep is a major cause of stress. People find themselves working or studying for long hours such
that they only get very few hours to sleep and rest. Continued lack of sleep may increase the
level of stress which may result in more health effects. Stress can also contribute to a person’s
lack of sleep. This is because of the thoughts that keep on coming on the person’s mind making
him or her not relax enough to fall asleep. Some people are forced to use some medication to
sleep. However, it is advisable to maximize the relaxing time before sleeping. One should also
keep away things that remind him or her of various incidences that may cause stress. Getting to
bed at the same time every day also helps the body to adjust to a particular bedtime routine
making it easy to fall asleep (Bistricky, Tran, & Muths, 2016, p. 13).
In conclusion, stress can bring tragic impacts if not treated. It may result in various
health issues such as muscle pain, anxiety, and insomnia. It can generally weaken a person’s
immune system. People are therefore advised to use some stress reduction techniques such as
reducing alcohol consumption, doing more physical exercises, and getting enough sleep. This
way, they will not face the adverse health effects that stress causes.
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References
Bistricky, S. L., Tran, K. N., & Muths, L. A. (2016). Use, Intent, Recommending, and
Preferences of Stress Reduction Techniques Measure. PsycTESTS Dataset.
doi:10.1037/t50699-000
Kalas, M. S., & Momin, B. (2016). Stress detection and reduction using EEG signals. 2016
International Conference on Electrical, Electronics, and Optimization